© NL Beeld

'Brothers' (2009) -

‘Brothers’ invites us into the lives of a young family in America. Upon the father's return from war, he finds his brother had an affair with his wife.

© NL Beeld

'Marriage Story' (2019) -

This film gives us a stark insight into the painful existence of a couple going through divorce. Violent verbal arguments and board rooms with solicitors show us the reality of what it’s really like.

© NL Beeld

'Annie Hall' (1977) -

When Alvy meets Annie Hall, his life seems complete. A short-lived romance between the two is cut short when Annie moves to California to pursue her career. Stunned, much of the film follows Alvy’s torment and scorn by her decision and various unsuccessful attempts to get her back.

© NL Beeld

'Casablanca' (1942) -

Rick Blaine is the owner of a chic restaurant and gambling den in Casablanca when a long-lost love walks into his bar. As fate would have it, after declaring their love for each other once more, they are torn apart again by the tyranny of war.

© NL Beeld

'Before Sunrise' (1995) -

This 1995 drama follows a young American man and a French woman meeting on a train. Disembarking in Vienna, they walk the streets together and grow closer as the film progresses. Their relationship, however, is torn apart before the morning, as they must go their separate ways.

© NL Beeld

'Blue Valentine' (2010) -

The screenplay heartbreakingly invites us into the courtship of a young couple, Dean and Cynthia. Shifting back and forth between beautiful scenes of young love and infatuation, and their inevitable future state of disillusion with their lives and marriage, makes your heart sink.

© NL Beeld

'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012) -

Far from your typical romantic movie, two troubled characters played by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence meet. With his bipolar disorder and her painful existence as a widow, their interactions and behavior can be painful to watch.

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'Call Me By Your Name' (2017) -

This instant classic, starring Timothée Chalamet, is sure to tug on your heartstrings! His character, Elio, discovers a different side of his sexuality upon meeting Oliver (Armie Hammer), an older man who comes to work with Elio’s father in the summer in southern Italy.

© NL Beeld

'A Star Is Born' (2018) -

This box-office smash, featuring Lady Gaga, invites us into the glamorous world of a couple falling for each other while surrounded by fame, money, and rock and roll. They have everything, but the pressures of the fast life force their relationship to a crashing halt.

© NL Beeld

'Cinema Paradiso' (1988) -

This film follows a young man's journey through life from his first job as a projectionist to meeting the love of his life. From growing up and leaving his small town in Italy behind to becoming a famous director, memories of his first true love and his mentor never leave his heart.

© NL Beeld

'Love, Simon' (2018) -

Simon has not come out as gay to anyone he knows. With nobody to talk to about it, he confides in another student in his school online; both under an alias. When another 'friend' finds out his secret, he is abused in the form of blackmail.

© NL Beeld

'Remember Me' (2010) -

No matter what your definition of realistic is, this one is sure to drag you down to earth to face the realities of life. Murder, loss, and family turmoil surround the romance of a young couple.

© NL Beeld

'Brooklyn' (2015) -

In search of a better life, a young Irish woman moves to New York. When her sister passes away, she is forced to return home to her small village to take care of her mother and has to make a painful decision: to return to her new life in New York, or stay.

© NL Beeld

‘The Fault in Our Stars’ (2014) -

The reality of mortality for Gus and Hazel, who meet at a cancer support group, doesn’t stop them from falling for each other. Their future together crumbles when he reveals that his condition has deteriorated to the state of being terminal.

© NL Beeld

'Revolutionary Road' (2008) -

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet appear on the screen together for the first time since 'Titanic,' and their performances were, as expected, outstanding. The drama watches the couple give up on all their dreams to settle for lives they swore that they would never lead.

© NL Beeld

'La La Land' (2016) -

Two young dreamers, Mia and Sebastian, first encounter each other in a traffic jam in LA. They meet again at a party, and the two begin to date but are eventually torn apart by the demands of their careers.

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'If Beale Street Could Talk' (2018) -

Presented in a non-linear structure, we follow the life of a young Black couple, Tish and Fonny, in New York in the 1970s and the extreme prejudice that they endure, from looking to rent a home to Fonny’s incarceration for a crime he couldn’t have possibly committed (while they're expecting their first child).

© NL Beeld

'The Vow' (2012) -

Paige Collins (Rachel McAdams) and her husband Leo’s (Channing Tatum) marriage comes to a halt after Paige is involved in a very serious car accident. In being thrown through the windscreen of her car, she suffers serious head injuries and loses all memory of her husband and their marriage.

© NL Beeld

'Brief Encounter' (1945) -

A brief encounter between two strangers, who are both married, on a train spirals into an intense affair.

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'Titanic' (1997) -

Although the chances of your ship sinking nowadays are extremely unlikely, it doesn’t get more real than falling in love and having to watch your lover drown, all within a few days.

© NL Beeld

'Life Is Beautiful' (1997) -

This one follows the story of a young Italian who falls in love as the state of the world collapses around him. Being sent to a concentration camp, he fights for love and for his family in each and every way he knows how but, as liberation is in sight, he meets his demise.

© NL Beeld

'A Walk to Remember' (2002) -

A popular high school bad boy, Landon, meets and falls for a minister’s daughter. While he is affectionate behind closed doors, he continues to hurt her by avoiding and humiliating her in front of his peers.

© NL Beeld

'Brokeback Mountain' (2005) -

This film give us insight into the societal pressures faced by those wishing to embark on same-sex relationships in the early 1960s in the US.

© NL Beeld

'Like Crazy' (2011) -

Ana goes from London to study in the United States and falls in love with Jacob along the way. Upon returning to her home country, they maintain a long-distance relationship, but when she attempts to return to him, she is denied a visa to enter.

© NL Beeld

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' (2012) -

Charlie is in his junior year of high school. Traumatized by the death of his aunt and the death of his friend, he struggles to fit in at his new school until he is befriended by two seniors, Patrick and Sam, both of whom carry their own burdens in life. 

© NL Beeld

'Boys Don't Cry' (1999) -

This film is based on a true story. Brandon Teena was a young trans man who moved to Falls City to escape transphobia and met and eventually fell in love with Lana. After various attempts to hide the fact that he was a transgender man to Lana, she eventually found out but declared her love for Brandon regardless of his gender. Their beautiful love story ended sadly ended in Brandon's brutal murder by two 'friends.'

© NL Beeld

'500 Days of Summer' (2009) -

When Tom Hanson met Summer Finn, he was instantly swept away. Between his idealized version of romance and unrealistic expectations for their relationship, and her more casual approach, he was set for disappointment.

Sources: (Rotten Tomatoes)(IMDb)(Cosmopolitan)

See also: Movies with bleak and depressing endings

© NL Beeld